(#86) Chasing It - Season 6 Part 2, Episode 4
Written by Matthew Weiner
Directed by Tim Van Patten

With all apologies to fans of this episode and of course to vital contributors to the Sopranos series, Matthew Weiner and Tim Van Patten, this clearly qualifies as the start to my #86-#1 countdown. If there is an ‘anchor’ keeping this below all 85 others, it would have to be the ever-so artistically and of course visually un-redeeming shit-in-the-shower-then-STEPPING-on-it scene (maybe Weiner didn’t write it; maybe someone else added it). And why (with ONLY FIVE EPISODES LEFT, mind you) did we really need to know about Vito Jr. and his whole ‘going-bad’ in lieu of his father if we never got to know the character in the first place? Not to mention, we never again get to see him. Perhaps this was installed to give you an idea of AJ‘s (even further) decent upon Tony no longer being around. And Tony ‘suddenly‘, like never before during the entire series, has this huge gambling issue and it’s implied he may even go as far as to whack Hesh to kill his $200K debt to him? A debt which he, promptly, pays back to him upon Renata dying in her sleep? Blanca annihilates AJ’s heart at the Puerto Rican Day Parade which is held every June so why would T be betting on football? And couldn’t a real Bills-Buccaneers game be shown on the tube along with the Dolphins and Eagles not playing each other the very same season? Even casual NFL fans pick up on that scheduling inconsistency. Nancy Sinatra does guest as herself performing at Phil’s ’christening’ party honoring he as the new ’King of New York’. Waiting for Phil to return to her company, she eerily asks both he and Tony if they’re, “going home together”.